It is well known that exhaust gas aftertreatment systems of internal combustion engines may be equipped with, among other aftertreatment devices, a diesel particulate filter (DPF) that collects liquid and solid particles, soot particles, in a porous, adsorbent substrate structure while allowing exhaust gases to flow through. The efficiency of a DPF may be maintained either by replacing the component or by a periodic cleaning or regeneration event, but in order to avoid service interruptions, a regeneration event is generally preferred.
A (DPF) regeneration event may be operated introducing very high heat into the aftertreatment system, creating a condition whereby the soot particles contained into the DPF are burned (oxidized). Since the burned soot particles contribute to increase the temperature inside the DPF, a regeneration event shall be performed frequently enough to avoid excessive temperatures during cleaning, but not so frequently as not to penalize fuel consumption and oil dilution.
Due to the high thermal gradients and temperature peaks produced within the DPF during a (DPF) regeneration event, a need exists of a method of operating the aftertreatment system that prevents further increasing of the temperature within the DPF when the engine operating conditions are modified during the (DPF) regeneration event.